Spring Training Means a New Fantasy Baseball Season

With Major League Baseball in the thick of Spring Training games, now is a good time to look at potential fantasy options on the Baltimore Orioles. While they are not expected to compete this year, there are some legitimate players on Brandon Hyde’s lineup card and yours.

The two big bats in Baltimore are also the two contenders to start for a fantasy team. Outfielders Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander are both good starting options despite playing few games last year. Mancini, of course, was out for the year beating cancer, and Santander played in just 37 games due to an injury during the shortened season.

Medical concerns should not be an issue this year. Mancini and Santander are both projected to hit around 25-30 home runs with decent batting averages in the .260-.270 range. Add in 80 or so RBI’s, and they more than earn their draft positions. According to Yahoo! Fantasy (the site of the official Birds Watcher league), Santander’s ADP is 165.7, and Mancini’s is 205.2. Both of those sound quite low to me, so whoever drafts them will get great value.

The one Oriole getting drafted higher is star rookie Ryan Mountcastle. After a very promising debut where he tallied five home runs and a .333 average in 35 games, Mountcastle is in contention for Rookie of the Year in 2021. Oddly enough, Mountcastle is more appealing to fantasy owners than front offices because his defense doesn’t matter in most leagues, and he is eligible at first base and the outfield.

Rookies are inherently harder to project, but Mountcastle’s strong 2020 makes me more confident he will keep hitting. Look for a high average of around .290 over a full season with at least 25 home runs and a decent amount of steals given his underrated speed. His ADP is 154.5, which may be low for a solid starter but high for a rookie.

The rest of the Orioles roster is thin but not barren for fantasy baseball. Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins are both possibilities off the bench if they hit enough to play. Because of their speed, both project for double-digit steals, the hardest stat to come by in fantasy. In deeper leagues, Pedro Severino could be worth a backup catcher role since there are not many at the position worth drafting.

On the pitching side, John Means is the only one really worth considering, which is not saying much. The patchwork starting rotation is still unclear, and no one else is expected to eat many innings. Means had an up-and-down shortened season where his velocity was up but his control was down, resulting in a 4.53 ERA and an ERA+ right at 100. Given that his dad died at the beginning of the season and his last few starts were much better, I am willing to think he is in a better state of mind and figured something out.

On a team that won’t win many games, Means is still a weak fantasy option even if he beats his projections. Since most leagues count pitching wins, the best outcome for Means might only be ten wins, and he does not strike out batters at a high rate. His ADP is 237.4, the very edge of draftable in standard 12-team leagues.

The worst thing an owner wants to hear is that a team is closing by committee, but that is what Hyde plans. Because of this, no Oriole reliever is a viable option, but the only one who could emerge is Tanner Scott. Someone has to get a save, even on a bad team, and he has the best stuff of anyone in the bullpen.

The Orioles might not win many games this season, but with a few of their players, we can each hope to win our fantasy leagues.